An App a Day: Educational Apps for the iPad

Content Creation

Aurasma (Free) - An augmented reality app that allows you to bring tagged images, objects and even physical locations to life with interactive digital content, such as video, animations and 3D scenes, called Auras. Create Auras by choosing from thousands of digital animations already on the platform or alternatively use your own photos and videos.
Book Creator ($5) - The simple way to create your own beautiful iBooks, right on the iPad. Read them in iBooks, send them to your friends, or submit them to the iBookstore. Ideal for journaling, tutorials, children’s picture books, photo books, art books, cook books, manuals, textbooks, and the list goes on.
Educreations (Free) - Turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. Explain a math formula... Create an animated lesson... Add commentary to your photos... Diagram a sports play...
Haiku Deck (Free/In-app purchases) - Create inspired presentations – whether you’re giving a report, teaching a lesson, telling a story, or expressing an idea. Haiku Deck is designed to encourage best practices recommended by presentation experts, such as focusing on a single idea per slide, using high-impact imagery to amplify emotional impact, and keeping formatting clean and consistent. Choose from a range of stylish, professionally designed themes for a cohesive, polished look. Select the perfect backdrop for your words with a built-in image keyword search that puts millions of free, high-quality Creative Commons licensed photos plus premium stock photography from Getty Images at your fingertips.
Pixie ($10) - An authoring tool students can use to share ideas, imagination, and understanding through a combination of text, original artwork, voice narration, and images. Students can use Pixie’s paint tools, text options, clip art, and voice recording to develop storybooks, curriculum projects, videos, and so much more. Pixie can be published in multiple formats.

History

Today's Documents (Free) - Explore American history with 365 of the most fascinating documents and photos from the collections of the US National Archives. Today's Document is an interactive gallery that displays a significant historical document or photo for each day of the year.
Early Jamestown (Free) - Interactive textbook on the early days of the Jamestown settlement in VA.
US Westward Expansion (Free) - Explore the westward expansion of the United States, Lewis and Clark. Interactive Maps, games, timelines. Took one of the top prizes for the VDOE SOL app challenge.
History: Maps of the World (Free) - An educational collection of high-resolution historical maps.
World Book: This Day In History (Free) - An interactive multimedia calendar that displays historical events for the current day or any selected day, along with related media such as photos, illustrations, music, and speeches.
Constitution for iPad (Free) - The U.S. Constitution for the iPad.
Declaration for iPad (Free) - The Declaration of Independence for iPad.
The Civil War Today ($6) - Experience the war as it unfolded, one day at a time, with daily updates that let you live the events in “real-time” over the course of four years, precisely mirroring the events of 150 years ago.

Science

Google Earth (Free) - Same high resolution imagery used on the desktop application. Geolocated photos and Wikipedia articles. Not as full featured as desktop app.
NASA (Free) - Live streaming of NASA TV, thousands of the best space images, launch information and countdown clocks, current visible passes for the International Space Station (ISS), and Earth orbiting satellite tracker.
Star Walk ($5) - Digital compass allows you to point the iPad at the sky and see what stars, constellations, and satellites you are looking at in real-time. Time Machine lets you see where constellations will be in the future. Adjust where on Earth you want to be viewing from.
The Elements ($14) - A living periodic table where every element is shown with a smoothly rotating sample. An embedded Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge search engine and stereo 3D images included.
Science 360 (Free) - The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Science360 for iPad provides easy access to engaging science and engineering images and video from around the globe and a news feed featuring breaking news from NSF-funded institutions.

Math

Mathematricks HD ($1) - Learn mental math tricks to easily solve complex math problems.
Calculator for iPad (Free/$1) - Standard and Scientific calculator for iPad, great on a large screen. Paid version has several different looks and no adds.
Math Ref (Free/$1) - Over 1,300 formulas (free version limited to 600), covers Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Derivatives, Physics, and more.
Convert Units Free HD (Free) - Unit conversions for a large variety of unit types with an intuitive interface. A great resource calculator to have.
Number Line (Free) - Number Line is an educational game app to help students learn about fractions, decimals, and percents by ordering equivalent fractions, decimals, and percents on a number line.

Language Arts/English/Reading

iBooks, Kindle, and Nook (Free) - Different platforms for the same idea. iBooks supports PDF viewing. Kindle/Nook sync from the cloud. Stores can often carry different books. Amazon’s library is the largest at the moment.
News-O-Matic (Free/In-app purchase of back issues) - Daily electronic publication that covers relevant news of the day in an engaging way, exploring many facets through images, maps, videos and games.
Word Magic ($1) - Word completion game. One of a series of apps (Math magic, count magic, etc). Positive reinforcement, word building. Elementary content level.
pocketphonic (Free/$3) - Phonics and writing training. App speaks each letter, makes the phonic sound, and provides a guide to help the student write it out. Positive reinforcement when done correctly. A game is included as well.
Flat Stanley (Free) - Since 1995 the Flat Stanley Project has been used by educators around the world to help children learn about travel, while discovering different cultures to develop a love for reading. This app makes it easier and safer for teachers, children and parents that want to create, travel and share their Flat Stanleys.
Dragon Dictation (Free) - An easy-to-use voice recognition application that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages.
QuickVoice Recorder (Free) - A voice recording app. Record ideas, podcasts, voice memos, voice email, dictation, lists, meetings, classes, or entire lectures.
TapToTalk™ (Free) - Turns the iPad into an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. Just tap a picture and TapToTalk speaks. Each picture can lead to another screen of pictures.
Word Lens (Free/Language Packs $9.99) - Instantly translate printed words from one language to another with your built-in video camera, in real time. PLEASE NOTE: Language packs must be purchased from within the app (Spanish to English and English to Spanish).
Puppet Pals (Free) - Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time. Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. Act out a story of Pirates on the high seas, fight as scary monsters, or play the part of a Wild West bandit on the loose.
Writer's Hat ($1) - Allows students to have four basic elements of their story selected randomly for them. They will be provided with an idea word for What, Where, Who and When to include in their story. Often it is a springboard of random words that can be all it takes to allow the mind to think creatively.
iDraw HD (Free) - Simply start with an empty white board or choose an existing photo from photo albums, then draw it with different brushes, shapes and colorful texts with beautiful fonts to tell a story. iDraw HD provides an easy way to share your handwritten photos by simply clicking "Share" button.

Fine Arts

Art HD (Free/$6) - Bios and high resolution imagery for a large number of classical artists.
ArtRage ($7) - Express your artistic side with easy to use painting and drawing tools that work just like the real thing. ArtRage packs a powerful physical paint simulation into a creative experience tailor-made for your iPad.
ArtStudio ($6) - The closest you’ll get to Photoshop on the iPad. Tools, brushes, filters, layers, masks, simulated brush pressure, lessons, export to PSD or JPG. Can’t see toolbar on projected image. VGA Support.
SelineHD ($5) - Just another fun musical app for the iPad, explores different possibilities for instruments when you’re not confined to normal hardware.
Pianist Pro ($5) Virtuoso Piano (Free) - Fully functioning piano with multiple sounds. Pianist Pro has options for a drum machine, recording, arpeggiator, and midi output.
Garageband ($5) - Turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses.

Reference

Google (Free) - Voice search, ability to ask a question and have your voice transcribed and searched. "What is the capitol of China?" Also allows math "What is 3 + 7 -27 + 8" App also links to the familiar Google Apps that many school systems use.
WolframAlpha ($3) - Find out how much vitamin C is in a bowl of ice cream. Learn what European country has the fourth largest population of children. Compute solutions to difficult trig and calculus problems. Balance complex chemical equations. Discover what is overhead as you gaze up at the stars. Finally crack that crossword puzzle.
Quintura (Free) and Ouintura for Kids ($3) - Search the Web and images visually by using a search cloud. Tap a word to begin search and see related words to refine search. Builds a search query using a visual tag cloud of words contextually related to your query.
Instapaper ($5) - Great for long articles and blog posts that you find during the day and would like to read, but don't have the time when you find them. Save with Instapaper, then read later.
EasyBib (Free) - Create accurate MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations in seconds by scanning a book bar code or by typing the name of a book. Build and manage your works cited. Once done, email your citations and then export your citations to EasyBib.com's popular bibliography management service.
TED (Free) - The entire library of high resolution TED talks at your fingertips. Check out the “How We Learn” category for inspiration. Saved Talks are stored offline.
BrainPop (Free) - Each day a featured animated movie from the Brainpop series along with an interactive quiz to test knowledge of the subject.
Wikipanion (Free/$5) - Full access to Wikipedia, in-page searching, bookmarks, built-in dictionary including audio pronunciations, link support. Paid version adds support for offline viewing.
Dictionary (Free) - Free, Simple but effective, 275000 definitions, 80,000 synonyms, no internet required.

Productivity

Flash Cards Deluxe (Free/$4) - Universal flash card application. Supports pictures and sounds. Create flashcards on the device or on computer and upload, also download from Quizlets pre-configured flash cards. Several different ordering modes and ways to “answer” a card.
ChoiceBoard Creator (Free) - An app for creating customizable choice boards for the unique needs of individuals with communication challenges. It reinforces correct choice by expanding the selected image as well as playing the customized auditory rewards.
Dropbox (Free) - Cloud storage for your documents, photos, videos, etc. Ability to easily sync between multiple computers. Open documents in other supported apps for editing.‍
Evernote(Free) - From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, put it all into Evernote and watch as it instantly synchronizes from your iPad to your Mac or Windows desktop.
OneNote (Free) - Create searchable notes with text, pictures, bullets, and checkboxes. Then keep your notes in sync using free Windows Live SkyDrive cloud storage to access, edit and manage them from virtually anywhere, from your PC or almost any web browser.
Outline (Free) - The first app that truly natively works with OneNote files on iOS - Your pages will look exactly the same as in OneNote on your PC. All your data is rendered natively for iOS by Outline, including tables, links, inks and all other original formatting.

Collaboration Tools

Skype (Free) - Bring your Skype contacts closer with full screen video at your fingertips. This is Skype built especially for the iPad. Call, video call, or instant message anyone on Skype.
VoiceThread (Free) - Create and share dynamic conversations around documents, snapshots, diagrams and videos -- basically anything there is to talk about. You can talk, type, and draw right on the screen.
Diigo (Free) - All-purpose digital library for the iPad - bookmarks, archives, annotations, notes, images, and screenshots. Collect everything, find fast, share easily, and access anywhere.
Corkulous ($5) - A multi-purpose app containing cork boards where you can place and share notes, labels, photos, contacts, and tasks. Group your ideas visually on one board or spread ideas out across multiple boards (sub-boards also supported).
Edmodo (Free) - An easy to use social network for teachers and students to stay connected and share information in a safe environment. Send notes, post replies, and check messages and upcoming events while away from the classroom.

Whiteboard Apps

ShowMe (Free) - Allows you to record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online. It’s a radically intuitive app that anyone will find extremely easy to use, regardless of age or background.
Explain Everything ($3) - An easy-to-use design tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations.
ScreenChomp (Free) - A simple doodling board, markers, and one-click sharing tools make spreading your ideas and know-how easy and fun.
Whiteboard Lite (Free) - Collaborate with friends and family with Whiteboard, the easy-to-use collaborative drawing app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Two users can create pictures together over local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth peer-to-peer.



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Presenter:Marie Booz is an Instructional Technology Coordinator (ITC) with the Department of Technology for Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Prior to becoming an ITC, she was a Computer Resource Specialist (aka: ITRT) for eight years. In addition to her certification in elementary education, she is endorsed in gifted education and school administration. In 2008, she became certified in the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T) and is a Discovery Educator Network (DEN) STAR educator. Her memberships include ASCD/VASCD, the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Finally, Marie is a Second Lifer! She is Mandie Mimulus in the virtual environment called, Second Life, and you can usually find her hanging out on VSTE Island where she facilitates collaborative learning communities among K-12 and higher-ed educators.